Singapore's Youngest Billionaire

Welcome to the world of Kishin RK, who may have lucked into phenomenal wealth – but seized the future by selling his first property aged 18, and today gives back with free meals for disadvantaged families and health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kishin RK, the only son of Singaporean real estate magnate Raj Kumar, is Singapore’s youngest billionaire at only 37 years of age. Did he earn any of his own wealth or was it all passed down to him? What are his secrets to success? 

He bought his first apartment when he was 12

He hasn’t said if he used his allowance or his dad’s money for the purchase, but he has said his father guided him through the process and later started bringing him to real estate meetings so he could learn more about the family business.

He partners with his dad but runs his own business

Kishin may have started learning about real estate in his father’s company, but his training and expertise don’t end there. At the young age of 18, he decided to sell an apartment his parents had given him to start his own company, RB Capital.

Unlike his father’s firm, which focuses on buying and then repositioning underperforming real estate assets, RB Capital focuses on real estate development. However, it wasn’t long before both father and son realised they could grow both businesses by working together on various projects. The two are now known as Singapore’s leading landlords and have a combined net worth of US$2.7 billion.

He runs on coffee

Kishin may be passionate about his business, but passion alone doesn’t give him the energy needed to run a huge business empire. He reportedly drinks about eight cups of coffee a day to keep him going.

He set up a foundation to give out free food

Kishin RK doesn’t just work in real estate. He’s also the co-founder of TiffinLabs, which set up a charitable foundation called Food is Love to help provide food to needy individuals and families during the Covid-19 pandemic. The foundation started by offering 20,000 restaurant-quality meals to poor families suffering from job losses and an additional 10,000 meals to health care workers.

He’s a private person by nature

Kishin RK shies away from social media, preferring to direct those who want to know more about him to his business website. His Instagram account, which is private, has fewer than a dozen photos of him. His Facebook page hasn’t been updated since June 2017.

Kishin RK may have had great start in life, but he’s not relying on his parents to help him get by – instead, he’s spread his wings, ventured into new territory and boosted his father’s established real estate business in the process.

Source: SCMP